A long-planned Bruce Highway interchange linked to the next stages of the region’s largest master-planned community is moving closer, with development documents stating construction is scheduled to start “soon”.
Aura’s Central Avenue and Bruce Highway interchange would give the Caloundra South development another direct connection to the highway, in addition to the Bells Creek Arterial Road link, which opened to traffic in September 2023.
The information was noted in a minor change application lodged with Sunshine Coast Council earlier this month on behalf of developer Stockland for the Western Detention Basin, a 2016-approved extraction and stormwater basin site west of the Bruce Highway at Bells Creek.
Material extracted from the site would be used to form development pads for Aura’s new precincts on the eastern side of the highway, before the excavated area becomes a detention basin for stormwater and flood management.
The new application lodged with council seeks to update the existing approval so extraction, haulage and construction arrangements align with Aura’s next stages and the planned interchange.
The current approved haul route runs through forestry land, although the application noted Stockland was in discussions with the Department of Transport and Main Roads about potential alternative routes using the Bruce Highway.
A letter from the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, included with the application, stated temporary access “may be required” through Beerwah State Forest, which neighbours the development site along with Mooloolah River National Park and Glass House Mountains National Park.
However, the department said its consent was only provided to allow lodgement of the minor change application and did not constitute support for the proposal, authorise works or allow ongoing access through state land.
It said any access through Beerwah State Forest would be considered separately under the Forestry Act 1959, while national park land could not be used to provide access to adjacent private development.
Meanwhile, the application states the remaining extraction required from the basin would be about 711,117 cubic metres, less than the previously approved 800,000 cubic metres, because early phases of work occurred in 2022.
It also states the revised outlet alignment would avoid areas of environmental value, including mapped remnant vegetation and mapped koala habitat.
“Development of Aura is advancing, including that development of Precincts 12 and 13 at Aura is imminent so the approved extracted material (and the resulting detention basin) will very soon be required to facilitate those precincts,” the application states.
“Work is also scheduled soon to commence on construction of the Bruce Highway interchange that will be located adjacent to the extraction site.”
Planning documents show Precinct 12 forms part of Aura’s north-central residential area, with earlier approvals identifying housing, a community hub, school, neighbourhood centre, childcare, parks and sports fields. Stockland has confirmed Precinct 13, within Nirimba, is Aura’s second business and commercial precinct and is set to become a future employment hub.
Stockland could not yet confirm the timing of the interchange and basin works, but said precinct works would include “bulk earthworks filling to enable future stage construction” and would start once relevant approvals were in place.
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Stockland was also progressing approvals for the interchange.
“Stockland is working through approvals with the Department of Transport and Main Roads and will provide details once all approvals are in place,” the spokesperson said.
A construction timetable and traffic management plan would also be confirmed once approvals were confirmed.
The spokesperson said the Western Detention Basin would provide flood mitigation as part of Aura’s overall project delivery strategy and help the future business park achieve required flood immunity levels.
Aura forms part of the broader Caloundra South Priority Development Area, which will be developed over 30 to 40 years and accommodate up to 50,000 residents.
